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SAFER CITIES APPROACH
The Challenge
Crime is a serious problem in cities all over the world.
Urban violence generates a fear of crime. Crime and the fear of crime are serious
threats to the stability and social climate of cities, to sustainable and economic
development, the quality of life and human rights.
Urban violence erodes the social capital of the poor. Insecurity affects the
poor more intensely, breaks down socio-cultural bonds and prevents social mobility,
thus contributing to the development of urban ghettos and stigmatised neighbourhoods.
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The Programme
The Safer Cities Programme was launched in 1996 at the request of African mayors
who wanted to address urban violence by developing a prevention strategy at
city level. The programme supports the implementation of the Habitat Agenda,
which acknowledges the responsibility of local authorities in crime prevention.
Furthermore, the Programme is in line with the ECOSOC Resolution 1995/9
of 24 July 1995.
The main objectives of the programme are to:
(1) Build capacities at city level to adequately address urban insecurity; and
thereby
(2) Contribute to the establishment of a culture of prevention.
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The Safer Cities Approach
Violence does not happen spontaneously. It grows out of an unequal and exclusive
society, and out of lack of institutional and social control.
An inadequate urban environment and exclusion encourage crime and violence.
Moreover, the criminal justice system, including police, courts and prisons,
is poorly adapted to the rapidly changing urban environment, and is unable to
respond to the concerns and needs of urban dwellers, particularly the poor.
This situation leads to distrust, intolerance and in some cases violent reactions
such as "mob justice" as a collective form of defence against petty crime. The
criminal justice institutions alone cannot stop the escalation of urban violence
or even control it. Public safety should be considered as a public good that
must be developed and promoted by all institutions and civil society. International
experience shows that reducing crime is everybody's responsibility.
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The Key Role of Local Authorities
Cities have a primary role in co-ordinating the activities aimed at reducing
crime. Local governments are seen as the key actors in coalitions and in the
development of community-wide planning strategies for crime prevention. The
International Conferences on the theme of urban violence and safety held successively
in Barcelona (1987), Montreal (1989), Paris (1991), Vancouver (1996), Johannesburg
(1998) and Naples (2000) reaffirmed that the role
of local authorities as leaders of local partnerships is crucial. Mayors and
city councillors are in strategic positions to initiate and co-ordinate local
action and adequately address the social demand. A partnership between local
governments and other stakeholders can enable prevention and ultimately eliminate
violence, crime and insecurity.
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Safety as an Issue of Good Governance
Tackling crime and insecurity are issues of good urban governance.
Successful experiences in urban crime prevention improve governance.
Good governance and safe cities are reciprocal: where inhabitants are free
from fear, and where safety is improved for citizens and neighbourhoods, interaction
among people, among groups and with the public institutions becomes possible.
This in turn creates an enabling environment for the inhabitants in the city,
for the quality of their life and for economic development.
In addition, addressing urban crime and violence is an exercise in good governance
if it involves the development of solidarity practices, city consultation processes
and institutional reform, which enhance citizenship and inclusion.
Therefore the Safer Cities Programme contributes to
Habitat's Campaign on Urban Governance through the development
of safety norms, of tools and the dissemination of lessons learnt. The Programme
activities.
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The Safer Cities Strategy
In line with the Habitat Agenda and in collaboration with other UN agencies
(UNDP, UNICEF, UNESCO), the Safer Cities programme provides support to local
authorities by:
- strengthening their capacity to address urban safety issues and reduce delinquency,
violence and insecurity;
- promoting crime prevention initiatives, implemented in collaboration with
central and local authorities, the criminal justice system, the private sector
and civil society;
- encouraging city networks in order to facilitate the exchange of expertise
and good practices, which will be replicable in other regions as well as encourage
international exchange of knowledge and expertise on crime prevention;
- preparing and implementing capacity building programmes, and disseminating
lessons learnt in close collaboration with qualified partners from the North
and the South;
- targeting three main areas of prevention: actions aimed at groups at risk,
situational prevention, and reform of the criminal justice system.
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The Safer Cities Methodology
The Safer Cities Programme follows a structured process designed to nurture
local crime prevention capacities:
- identification and mobilisation of key partners at the local level, who
can contribute effectively to the reduction and prevention of crime;
- creation of a local safety coalition led by a public figure and supported
by a technical co-ordinator. The technical co-ordinator in partnership with
the local authority, co-ordinates, ensures continuity and focuses on strategic
objectives;
- a rigorous assessment of the crime situation through a local safety appraisal
based on institutional, informal and social research data. The appraisal seeks
to identify, assess and prioritise safety problems and policies. Furthermore,
it aims to generate consensus among partners. If more in-depth information
is required, scientific data gathering approaches are available, such as victimisation
surveys, women's safety audits etc;
- formulation and development of a local strategy that includes a detailed
plan of action, including responsibilities and a calendar, setting out the
social, institutional and situational measures to be taken;
- implementation of the local strategy. This includes a range of short and
long-term prevention initiatives or projects, which address the causes, manifestations
and fears of crime;
- institutionalisation of the participatory local crime prevention approaches
through the incorporation of safety as a cross-cutting dimension throughout
the structures of local government and the criminal justice system. This could
require institutional reform.
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Prevention Interventions at City Level
Situational Prevention
Situational prevention aims to change the physical and environmental conditions
that generate crime and fear of crime through improved urban design and planning.
This type of prevention is based on the strategic analysis of a given area.
It seeks to identify opportunities for criminal behaviour as well as groups
and situations at risk. The Safer Cities Programme supports the development
of situational prevention policies through city-wide partnerships, including
local government, the police, the private sector and civil society.
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Social Prevention: actions aimed at Groups at Risk
Crime affects different groups in different ways, both from the perspective
of potential victims and of potential offenders. Insecurity and crime in the
city particularly affect youth and women. Safer Cities supports integrated youth
policies at the city level in order to address the particular needs of youth,
involving all relevant urban stakeholders. Furthermore, it seeks to influence
youth policies at the national level. The development of knowledge, tools and
methodologies through training activities and exchange of experiences is an
important component of these youth policies.
Safer Cities also contributes to the development of policies addressing violence
against women. These activities involve raising awareness on gender and violence
issues among law enforcement actors and other stakeholders.
Secondly, tools are being developed to address the issues related to violence
against women. In particular, tools for the collection of disaggregated data,
for the sensitisation and involvement of men and for women's safety audits.
Furthermore, Safer Cities aims to organise the exchange of experiences, good
practices and lessons learnt in this field.
Safer Cities encourages the creation of Neighbourhood Watch Groups are a form
of community prevention involving community members in providing increased formal
control in their neighbourhood. Members collaborate with the police and local
leaders in the surveillance of their specific neighbourhood.
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Institutional Prevention: support to new forms of justice
Safer Cities supports new forms of policing and justice. The Programme aims
to bring the criminal justice system closer to the population and its needs
with a view to introducing restorative justice. Community policing, informal
and alternative mechanisms for conflict resolution, and mediation by traditional
community leaders are all examples of efficient safety improvement and citizenship
development. The programme identifies and documents good practices of the criminal
justice system, tests their replicability nd provides and disseminates information
on new forms of policing and justice.
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Please see publications
list for reference on this issues.
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